Axattack - Toxic Wasted E.P.

A horrific scream breaks the silence as thunderous drums fill the air, signaling the beginning of the attack. Giant, radioactive wolf-men gnash their teeth and tear at the flesh of their opposition as bodies fall throughout the wasteland. People beg for mercy on their knees, crying for divine intervention or at least a quick death, for they know there is no escape from the Werewolf's bite. It says so right there in the chorus. Oh wait, I'm reviewing the “Toxic Wasted EP” from Axattack, not penning a post-apocalyptic short story, so let me talk about riffs and headbanging and all the other great things you'll get from this release.

This EP only contains three songs, so it flies by pretty quick at around 10 minutes, but thankfully it has plenty of replay value. Axattack is filled with the spirit of late-80s Thrash Metal and when done right, that is a bit of a weakness of mine; right up there with galloping triplets. The influences here seem fairly obvious: classic Heavy Metal, a hearty dose of Motorhead and plenty of ice cold beer. The namesake of this E.P. is a circle-pit-ready Metal anthem, I've personally witnessed a drunken crowd of leather-clad Metalheads scream along to “Toxic Wasted” and then scream for more once it was finished. This is the power and glory of the riff.

Describing themselves as “Beer Thrash” is probably the most fitting title I've seen a band place upon themselves. This whole E.P. plays like a tribute to the old-school legends that undoubtedly graced the speakers in the band's practice space on many occasions. “Bear the Mark”, much like the other two songs, is a plentiful helping of fast, catchy riffs in praise of all things Metal. There is a lot of power coming out of this Columbia, SC three-piece and their nods to the old-school don't come across as mimicry, but rather a hint that this is a band who intends on bringing a bit of fun back to the genre without sacrificing any of the hard edges. This is the perfect soundtrack to a night of beer-drinking and hell-raising so grab your patch jacket, fill up a cooler, blast some Axattack and take on the world!